Yarn dyeing apparatus



1964 J. T. BRANDWOOD 3,157,039

YARN DYEING APPARATUS Filed May 22, 1961 Fig] 70 L1 HI] I I: INVENTOR Jorg TAYLOR BRANDWOOD United States Patent 3,157,039 YARN DYEING APPARATUS John T. Brandwood, Sale, England, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Dye Tube Developments Limited, Lancashire, England, a British company Filed May 22, 1961, Ser. No. 111,535 2 Claims. (Cl. 68-198) This invention relates to the dyeing of yarns whilst in package form and is concerned with the dyeing of packages of yarn which have come from the spindles of a ring frame (the term ring frame including both ring spinning frames and ring doubling frames).

The invention comprises an apparatus for producing packages of dyed yarn wherein first the package is formed in a ring frame on a tube, or bobbin, which is perforated in the locality covered by the yarn, and which is closed at its upper end, and wherein such package then has the lower open end of the tube fitted on to a close fitting hollow ferrule in a dyeing machine so as to hold the package where it can be immersed in the dye liquor, and dyeing is effected by passing dye liquor through the package and through said ferrule.

In some cases, the passage of the dye liquor through the package is by suction at said ferrule, the liquor passing from the exterior of the package inwardly. In this event, by reason of the tube being closed at the top, and because all its perforations are covered by the yarn windings, the suction effort in the dyeing machine, which is applied to the tube through the ferrule, serves to hold the package firmly on the said ferrule, which fits the tube closely, and renders any mechanical securing or clamping means for the tube unnecessary. Moreover, as the dyeing is effected solely by a flow of liquor from the outside to the inside of the package, no additional holding means for the tube are necessary.

In some other cases however, dyeing is effected by passing the liquor through the package under pressure from the interior outwards, or there may be an alternation of suction and pressure causing the liquor to pass to and fro through the package. In these cases means must be provided to hold the tubes in position on said ferrules so that they are secure during the periods when the liquor passes from the interior of the package outwardly. Such means may comprise a holding member to engage the tops of the closed ended tubes as an obstruction, or it may comprise a latching or locking connection between the bottom end of the tube and its support. One example of such a locking connection is a bayonet-type pin and slot latching means. Or, the lower open end of the tube may be formed with a screw thread for screw-on attachment with the holder.

The invention also provides an improved ring tube for use in the above method and comprising a rigid tapered tube closed at or near its upper end, shaped interiorly to fit the spindle of a ring frame drivingly, provided with evenly-spaced perforations in the area over which the yarn will be wound, and shaped at its lower end to fit tightly on to a tapered ferrule provided for it in the dyeing machine. The said closed end of the tube will be suitably curved or domed, or radiused so as not to impede the drawing off of the yarn endwise when the dyed package is eventually put into use. There is a slight annular rib around the tube just outside the upper and lower ends of the perforated area of the tube to define the winding limits.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision in the dyeing machine of a plurality of hollow ferrules in spaced relationship on a base plate or carrier, each ferrule having a depending tubular stern entering a hole in such carrier and having been expanded over or otherwise imprisoned to the plate, having two or more 3,157,039 Patented Nov. 17, 1964 ice tapered portions of different diameter arranged in progressive series, each taper being formed with a lead-in bevel or radius at the top. This allows of each ferrule accepting tubes in a number of sizes, namely a range of sizes on each of said tapered portions. The ferrules and the tubes are so dimensioned that the tubes are a push fit on to the ferrules so as not to allow any short circuit of the suction stream between ferrule and tube. Also, as the length of each tapered portion of a ferrule is such as not to cover any of the perforations there is no interference with the suction.

It is therefore an important advantage of the invention that the packages may be very quickly placed in position in the dyeing machine, and as quickly removed when dyed. It is a further advantage of these taper formations on the ferrules that the tubes may be pushed onto the ferrules until all their top ends are at the same height for uniform contact with a retaining member adapted to hold the tubes down on the ferrules whilst dye liquor is forced through them from the inside.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a part-sectional side View of a tube for use according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a side View of one of the tapered ferrules and a portion of the plate to which it is secured.

As shown, the tube 1 is a one-piece unit, usually a moulding of synthetic plastic material, though it could be of other suitable materials, it has evenly spaced perforations 2 over an area limited by two slight annular ribs 3, and it has a closed rounded top 4. The internal taper and diameter of the tube are such as to give a driving fit on the tapered base portion 15 of a ring spindle 16 of appropriate size on a ring spinning frame 17, the spindle and frame being shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. The rigid wall 11 of the tube 1 includes an integral, lower, hollow skirt 12 which is imperforate and terminates in a circular lower rim 13, defining the open lower end 14 of the tubular, yarn carrying support, and push fitting on the tapered ferrule, or nozzle, described hereinafter.

The preferred material for the improved tube is synthetic plastic material, such as a polyethylene, but other suitable materials may be adapted. In all cases however, if the tube is to be used repeatedly and not discarded after the first use, the material of which it is made must be one which will not absorb the dye liquor used, which is resistant to the chemicals with which it will come into contact, and which may readily be cleaned or scoured if stained. Also the tubes must be of a material capable of withstanding the high temperatures of the dye vessel, say up to 300 F and sufficiently rigid not to collapse under the suction pressures. The broken line in FIG. 1 indicates the outlines of a wound package of yarn.

The ferrule shown in FIG. 2 has a larger tapered portion 5 of a size and taper to receive tightly tubes within a certain range of diameter, and has a smaller tapered portion 6 for receiving tubes within a range of smaller diameters. Between the parts 5 and 6 is a chamfer or shoulder 7 which serves to guide and centralise tubes of the larger sizes on to the part 5. Similarly the upper tapered portion 6 has a radiused corner 8 for guiding a tube of one of the smaller sizes on to it. There may be more than two such tapered portions of the ferrule. As shown in FIGURE 2, the taper of the frustro-conical por tions 5 and 6 of the ferrule is more sharply angled than that of the interior of the tubular, yarn carrying support to assure a tight, sealed, push fit.

Also, at its lower end the ferrule has a tubular stem 9 the extremity of which has been swaged over to secure the ferrule to the carrier plate 10 forming part of the dyeing machine. Ferrules such as that illustrated will 3 usually be made of stainless steel. In a modification, however, the ferrules are of synthetic plastic material, e.g. polyethylene with a preformed annular bead similar to the swaged-over part of the metal stem 9, which allows of the ferrules being snapped into and out of position on the plate 10. The ferrules are thereby interchangeable with others of different sizes.

In a modification, not illustrated, the upper end of the tube is of normal apertured form but there is a transverse wall across the interior at a short distance from the end to close oh. the interior volume from the dye liquor.

The present invention makes it possible to take yarn packages from a ring frame directly to the pressure dyeing plant as can be done with packages from a mule. It is therefore no longer necessary to rewind the yarn from the ring frame packages on to a dyeing cheese or dyeing cone, and to again wind the yarn into smaller packages after dyeing.

What I claim is:

1. Textile dyeing apparatus comprising an apertured plate, a plurality of frustro-conical, hollow, ferrules, each mounted in one of the apertures of said plate, a plurality of rigid, tapered, plastic ring spinning tubes each having a closed upper end, a perforated intermediate area and an imperforate lower skirt with a circular terminal rim, the rim of said skirt being push fitted and firmly seated on the tapered face of one of said ferrules to form a liquid seal, a tapered interior face on each said tube for drivingly engaging a textile spindle, a pair of integral, circumferentially extending, spaced apart, ribs each at an opposite end of said perforated area on the exterior face of said tube to define the winding limits thereon and a tubular stern forming a fluid passage through each said hollow ferrule for drawing dyeing liquid inwardly through the package and perforations of the tube seated thereon while more firmly seating and sealing the skirt rim thereof.

2. A combination as specified in claim 1 wherein each said frusto conical hollow ferrule is formed of plastic material and is substantially coextensive in height with the skirt of said tube, each includes an integral, annular, outwardly projecting bead at the terminal end of said stern for snap attachment and detachment of said ferrule in an aperture of said plate and each includes at least two frustro conical portions of different ranges of diameters for receiving and sealing the skirt rims of tubes having diameters within said ranges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 99,203 1/70 Jenks 24226.2 X 394,778 12/88 Lippitt 68-198 X 701,444 6/02 Wolf 68189 1,926,536 9/33 Herrmann 8155.1 2,150,309 3/39 Atwell 8155.1 2,167,365 7/39 Little et al 8-155.1 2,513,418 7/50 MacNeill 8155.1 2,746,280 6/56 Russell 68-198 X 2,911,813 11/59 Stapf 68181 X 2,942,801 6/60 Cederberg 68-498 X FOREIGN PATENTS 70,208 8/93 Germany.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

M. NOBLE, IRVING BUNEVICH, Examiners. 

1. TEXTILE DYEING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN APERTURED PLATE, A PLURALITY OF FRUSTRO-CONICAL, HOLLOW, FERRULES, EACH MOUNTED IN ONE OF THE APERTURES OF SAID PLATE, A PLURALITY OF RIGID, TAPERED, PLASTIC RING SPINNING TUBES EACH HAVING A CLOSED UPPER END, A PERFORATED INTERMEDIATE AREA AND AN IMPERFORATE LOWER SKIRT WITH A CIRCULAR TERMINAL RIM, THE RIM OF SAID SKIRT BEING PUSH FITTED AND FIRMLY SEATED ON THE TAPERED FACE OF ONE OF SAID FERRULES TO FORM A LIQUID SEAL, A TAPERED INTERIOR FACE ON EACH SAID TUBE FOR DRIVINGLY ENGAGING A TEXTILE SPINDLE, A PAIR OF INTEGRAL, CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDING, SPACED APART, RIBS EACH AT AN OPPOSITE END OF SAID PERFORATED AREA ON THE EXTERIOR FACE OF SAID TUBE TO DEFINE THE WINDING LIMITS THEREON AND A TUBULAR STEM FORMING A FLUID PASSAGE THROUGH EACH SAID HOLLOW FERRULE 